Then and Now

Panoramic view of Spokane

In 1966 Spokane was a bustling business center. Aluminum, timber products, chemicals, mining, banking, insurance, trucking, railroads and agriculture dominated. Spokane International Airport had just opened to rave reviews.

When a Spokane Chronicle photographer made the panoramic nighttime photo, in 1966, of South Stevens Street curving into West 9th, Spokane was a bustling business center. Aluminum, timber products, chemicals, mining, banking, insurance, trucking, railroads and agriculture dominated. Spokane International Airport had just opened to rave reviews. Servicemen from Spokane were serving in Vietnam and Hanford Nuclear Reservation was turning its mission to “the peaceful atom”. Spokane’s economy was peaking from 20 years of post-war growth. Spokane’s population was 180,000. Forty-five years later, the city is still bustling with new faces and new businesses trying to leave an enduring mark on Spokane.